Hey y'all, I'm Danielle - the crazy behind this blog, where I share my creative life adventures as I survive life as a momma of 4 superheroes & wife to my best friend & fellow nerd. Life doesn't have to be perfect to be GREAT! You can reach me at danielle (at) busymomshelper.com - ABOUT -

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AvengersUnite #CollectiveBias

You’re probably not surprised to hear that my family is totally THRILLED about MARVEL’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron hitting theaters, right? Seriously, we’ve been counting down! To help our family ‘prepare in style’ we stocked up an all sorts of The Avengers snacks, toys, costumes and more. Plus, we put together some super fun accessories to assist in our role playing! Read on to learn how to Make Your Own Avengers Weapons!

They even have Dr Pepper joining in the fun! If you know me at all – Dr Pepper plus The Avengers equals a very happy momma!!! Each type has a different character featured, with 7 total. Woot woot!

We let the kiddos help us pick out some fun costume accessories and toys, too. Of course, they HAD to pick the gloves for Iron Man’s Hulk Buster as well as the Hulk. There was also their Quin Jet, action figures and so much more. It was hard not to get it all!

Before you go, make sure to download the awesome Super Heroes Assemble app available at both iTunes and the Google Play store. Use it to scan The Avengers displays at Walmart to unlock some fun activities as your favorite characters! You can even scan any of the Dr Pepper Avengers 12 packs or signage for a digital comic book!

My family is so superhero-obsessed that we have our own ‘assigned’ character. Partially based on our favorites, and a large part in our personalities! Here’s the breakdown:

Dad: Ant Man (can’t wait for this movie!)

Me: Wasp (hope she comes into the movies sometime soon)

Girl: Black Widow

Twin 1: Captain America/Thor

Twin 2: Iron Man

Youngest: Hulk

Make Your Own Thor’s Hammer

Supplies

2 rectangle foam pieces

Duct Tape (silver)

Cord

Stick/pole for handle

Directions

Cut your pole to your desired length – keeping in mind it will be sticking into the 2 foam pieces. Stack your 2 pieces together, then work the handle into them so it’s down into the bottom foam chunk, about halfway in (don’t want it sticking through the top).

Duct tape all around the foam and handle, making it not only secure but giving it the look of Thor’s hammer.

Cut a piece of cord and use Duct Tape to secure it to the handle, looping it around into a knot. That’s it!

Toss in a fun Thor mask (also found at Walmart, in the party aisle) and a costume if you wish!

Make Your Own Captain America Shield

Supplies

Foam pieces in Red, White and Blue

Staples or Foam Glue

Scissors

Directions

The order of Captain America’s Shield is (from outside to inside) Red, White, Red, Blue with a White Star in the center. Trace circles for the layers and then the star.

Cut them out, then either staple them in order or use foam glue. That’s all and you’ve got a super fun – and not painful if they throw it at each other – shield! This mask also came in that party pack, along with a Hulk one!

Make Your Own Black Widow Batons

Supplies

Blue Glow Sticks (thick is best)

Black electrical tape or crafting tape

Directions

All you have to do is wrap your glow sticks with the black tape randomly. Make fun patterns, if you want! Black Widow uses these as an electrifying type of weapon – and our girl is loving having her ‘own’ weapon!

They’ve been going CRAZY this week with all the fun toys and costumes, plus tasty snacks!

I love that the gloves/fists are made of a soft foam material, so it doesn’t really hurt as they fight each other. Because no matter how many times I say ‘settle down’, they just can’t help it, I guess!

What can’t YOU wait to grab in all your MARVEL’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron excitement?

If you know my family at all, you know we’re major superhero fans. When Big Hero 6 hit theaters, it wasn’t even a question if we were going to see it or not! Of course we loved it, with all the comedy, emotion and bad-guy-getting. What better way to show our love than with these DIY Big Hero 6 Shirts?!

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I’ve been wanting to do this shirts for quite awhile now, especially before our Big Hero 6 Party, but as always, time got away from me and I’m finally getting around to this weeks later. Better than never, right?! I’m planning to take them on our Disneyland Vacation this October, so we can share our hero-loving at the parks! Want to join in the fun? Be sure to visit the folks at Get Away Today to plan your trip with the best deals – use Promo Code: BMHDisney for $10 off your package!

One of the great things about my boys being so close in age (well, the twins that’s a given, but even Hulk is less than 18 months younger) is that their clothes are pretty much the same size. This means they can switch these shirts with each other to try out every character! Woot woot!

You can totally customize these shirts however you want with different colors, characters, add names, whatever you want. That’s the fun of it! For now we just wanted sparkly silhouettes of our favorites, and I’m thrilled with how they turned out!

Directions

Trace your character onto the DULL (not shiny) side of your freezer paper. Using scissors or an Xacto knife, carefully cut out your design…this will be your stencil! If you want, there are a few INSIDE pieces (like Hiro’s arm, Honey Lemon’s bag hole, etc.) for some of them that you can keep and use while you’re painting. I chose not to for these ones.

Stick your piece of cardboard inside your shirt under where your stencil will go, to prevent the paint from leaking through to the other side. Place your stencil on your shirt exactly where you want it with the SHINY side down. Iron your stencil flat, especially the funny stick-up points and edges.

Now use your sponge brush to lightly dab the paint onto your shirt. Don’t try to do too much paint at a time; instead do two or three (or more, whatever) coats.

Let the paint dry most of the way between coats. I ended up doing 3… …then after the 3rd coat (before it dries) I sprinkled on the glitter WITH THE STENCIL STILL ON! I then let it dry for a few minutes, then carefully pull up the freezer paper. You can use your scissor tips or knife to pull up those tiny pieces if you used them.

Can I just say WOW! I was super intimidated about doing this project, but it turned out so dang quick and easy, I was tempted to make one for each of my 3 boys! But…it’s good to teach them to share, right? Plus, I think if they all wore this around the house, they’d be bumping their ‘snow bellies’ into each other just for fun. Yup, that’s boys for ya! Want in on the fun? Well here’s how you can make this adorable DIY Olaf Costume in 2 hours or less!

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Super fun, right?! My boys were thrilled when I agreed to make them an Olaf Costume (I’d already made their sister an Elsa AND an Anna dress, so not like I could tell them no)! If I’d known it would be so simple, I would’ve made it awhile ago…but, as I said, I let myself get intimidated. No worries, though! Whip this up in 2 hours or less, then let your kiddo run as wild as the warm-hug-loving Olaf himself!

Note: My boys are 3 and 4, so if you’re doing it for a larger or smaller child, adjust your fabric accordingly.

Directions

Cut a piece of white fleece that goes all the way around your child (plus a couple inches overlap in the back), and down as far as you’d like the costume. Measure and cut arm holes. Since the costume will be ‘puffy’, don’t make the holes too small or they won’t have much movement! Also make sure to add a scoop for their neck, or their face will be covered with the puffed part. This piece will be the LINING.

Cut a piece of white fleece for the top ‘snowball’ – Olaf’s chest, if you will. I measured it out by cutting the same width (added about 4-5 more inches than the inner lining, to make up for stuffing) and sewing it along the top of the lining, including the scoop and all. I recommend doing it ‘inside out’ to hide this hem…the other hems won’t matter as much. Don’t forget to trace out the arm holes for this outer area, and sew them together to prevent stuffing coming out. Then go down to where you want his ‘chest’ to end (above the half-line, since the bottom snowball is larger than the top) and ‘puff’ it up so the fabric has plenty of growing room. Pin and sew this bottom row to the lining (don’t worry about the hem, it won’t be easily visible when it’s finished). Then sew one side down from the top to this new line, and PART of the second side. Leave room for stuffing it. Now add your stuffing until it’s nice and plump. Be sure to get around the arm holes, as well. Once you’re done adding the stuffing, finish sewing the last edge. Your top is done!

Repeat with the bottom layer: sew a top piece along the middle hem (where the bottom of the chest poof ends on the belly), make sure you have plenty of fabric to allow for stuffing (this snowball is bigger than the top), then sew it along the bottom edge, one side completely, and part of the other side. Stuff as desired, then sew up that opening.

Take some of your black scraps (fleece or flannel), cut large circles, and hot glue them to the belly for the buttons. Sew or glue either ribbon strips or a velcro strip in the back so you can secure the Olaf costume together in the back.

Make the Hat: Take some of your white fleece and cut it out in a half oval shape. To make the bottom more secure, fold up the edge about an inch and sew it as a hem (inside out). Fold this piece in half (inside out still). Stick 3 strips of brown felt/flannel in it (so they’ll stick up outside of the pretty side). Then sew up the back of the hat piece, making sure it sews the brown hair pieces into place.

Cut a ‘tooth’ shape and sew it just across the top, so it hangs over the edge of the hat. Use a sharpie to draw his side smile. Cut out two large black circles, then larger white circles for eyes. Use black for his eyebrows, and little black circles for inside his eyes. Cut his orange nose out, then hot glue all of the pieces into place.

And there you have an adorable, fun Olaf Costume your kiddos can enjoy all of the time! Here’s how it looks on my 3 youngest rascals:

Thor:

He loved being Olaf, and it was hard for me to get him holding still long enough for a picture! He practically refused to look at the camera. What a cute goof!

Iron Man:

He was all smiles and crazy faces while I let him pose for the camera, as you can see. He kept saying ‘warm hugs! warm hugs!’ and then attempted the ‘In Summer’ song. Super fun!

Hulk:

Can I just say that this little pill is just too dang cute for his (or my) own good?! I mean look at him – totally adorbs! He HAD to have his teddy with him for pictures, but kept jumping (and waddling) around like crazy. Love it!

If you were curious about our other Frozen Costume adventures, be sure to check these ones out!

Elsa Dress Tutorial

Anna Dress in 2 hours or less

I’m totally not a professional seamstress. Not even close! I don’t like spending forever on a costume that’ll just leave me frustrated with a mangled mess of fabric and thread! So I love putting together quick tutorials that don’t take much time, such as Frozen’s Anna Dress in 2 Hours or Less!

Especially since kids change their minds all the time on what costume they want, or grow too much to wear the same one more than one year, it’s nice to not spend forever making it. Just like my simple Elsa Dress Tutorial, Wonder Woman is loving wearing her Anna Dress around!

Note: The amount of fabric and such you’ll need will depend on your measurements. A lot of this tutorial is just based on the size you need, then cutting out/sewing the correct form. Simple and quick! Just make sure you double check your measurements as you go, to avoid cutting/sewing more than necessary!

Supplies

Light blue fabric for bodice and sleeves

Black fabric for bodice

Dark blue fabric for skirt

Thick gold ribbon for trim

Sewing machine/Scissors/Thread/Etc.

Hot glue gun/glue sticks

Puffy Paint for designs

Directions

Make your fabric cuts: Light Blue: the main bodice with a slight collar with slit down the front, as well as arm holes. Also cut out two sleeves. Black: over-bodice part with straps going over the shoulders and a point at the bottom center. Dark blue: skirt, making sure if goes outward at the bottom to flow well.

Make sure to sew with the fabric inside out, so the seams are on the inside and the seen parts look clean. Sew the side and top edges of the light blue bodice piece. Hem the wrist part of the sleeves, and bring the two edges together for the tube-like sleeve. To attach the sleeves, put them connected inside the bodice part to sew the seam inward:

Hem the bottom of the skirt, then sew the two sides together to make it an actual skirt piece. Being sure you put the smaller end to the bodice, sew the skirt to the bottom of the light blue bodice. Again, be sure to sew inside-out so the pretty seam is on the outside.

Either sew or hot glue the black bodice piece over top the light blue top.

Carefully use hot glue to attach the thick, gold ribbon as the trim around the black bodice piece.

Your dress is pretty much finished! If you don’t want to bother with the accents, then don’t and just enjoy the dress.

If you do want to do the accents, I simply used puffy paint to create the swirls, dots and flowers onto the bodice and skirt bottom of the Anna Dress. Be sure you give it plenty of time to dry completely; you don’t want to smear it over the dress!

And that’s all there is to it! It took me just under 2 hours (aside from drying time for the puffy paint), and that includes one or two sewing mishaps and taking pictures along the way.

Wonder Woman is so torn between wearing her Elsa Dress and this Anna Dress for Halloween…perhaps she’ll switch half-way through trick-or-treating so she can do both! Next on my list? A cloak to go along with this Anna Dress!

Have you noticed that my family is totally and completely nerd-ified? I mean, each of us have a superhero name that we regularly go by. And not just from one Superhero….we’ve got one for DC and one for Marvel. We’re just awesome like that! So in honor of my wacky hero-loving family, here’s 50+ Superhero Crafts!

Don’t miss out on our 50+ MORE Superhero Crafts, either! If you’ve followed my blog awhile, you know that on here my kids go by Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman and Green Lantern. Hubby and I are Flash and Hawk Girl. If you want to know our Avenger names, the kids are Black Widow, Captain America, Iron Man and Hulk. Hubby and I are Ant Man and Wasp. So fun, and the kids think it’s the coolest!

Here’s over 50 hero ideas for you to create with your kiddos, or just for yourself because Superheros rule!

Here’s even more Superhero Crafts!

Almost July. Wow. We’re starting to get eager for school, how about you? Keep busy and have a blast with our Phineas & Ferb Summer Series: Week 5!

Whoa this summer has been full of ‘excitement’ so far! Last week Hubby got into a fender bender, which resulted in a lot of front end damage. Good thing for insurance! Still, there was dealing with the insurance, getting it to a body shop, waiting for news, and getting a rental car. A bonus, though, Hubby was offered a hot red Charger at the rental company – and he said no! He knows he’d be tempted to use it’s speed abilities, and avoided it. So proud of him! He still got a nice rental car (we’re use to quite-a-bit-older vehicles, and this was a 2013) and is enjoying cruising around in style!

This week was so much fun for our Phineas & Ferb Summer Series! Caveman sandwiches, submarine adventures, and Candace got to experience life as a Platypus! Here’s the fun episodes for this week!

Episode 19a: Boyfriend from 27,000 BC

Just like Perry, dress up as a magpie! Roll some brown or yellow paper into a cone, use some ribbon to tie it around, and wrap yourself in a black cloth. See if you can fool some real magpies!

Create your own Caveman/Cavegirl costume, or just have a fun costume party! Get creative! Here’s a fun caveperson costume tutorial you can try:

Enjoy a delicious sandwich platter….just like our caveman friend!

Episode 19b: Voyage to the Bottom of Buford

Use an empty toilet paper roll to make your own goldfish! Paint it orange, tape some yellow ribbon or streamers to the tail, and stick on some googly eyes! Or use this fun tutorial for a balloon goldfish!

Candace found some fun glasses while shopping at the beach, now you can color your own with these fun printables!

For a snack or lunch, enjoy some cracker goldfish and Hot Dog Squids!

Episode 20a: Does this Duckbill Make Me Look Fat?

Cut out your own Platypus duckbill and tail from yellow paper, and dress up as Perry! See how well you can mimic his sound.

Sorry this is a little late getting up, guys, but better late than never! We had so much fun posing with our St. Patties Day Photo Props, the kids didn’t want to stop! Now you can print out the shapes to make your own fun, little photo booth for your family, a party, or even for a silly dress up with the FREE Printable shapes!

Since Superman’s favorite color is orange (like he’s seriously obsessed with it…he assumes everything orange is his), his favorites were the mustache and beard! Notice the ‘kissy lips’ through that puffy beard…who wouldn’t want to kiss that cute?!

Wonder Woman just had a blast cheesing it the whole time! My little superstar, she wanted to try Every. Single. Prop!

I have no idea what’s going on with Batman’s ‘uni-brow’ here, but he’s cute enough to pull it off. And the top left…he just couldn’t believe the fun, the little nut!

And Green Lantern was just plain adorable…even when he starting chewing on the hat. What a pill!

Feel free to print off these pages, then use them as stencils on colored paper to create your own fun St. Patties Day Photo Booth Props! Just attach some popsicle sticks (I used mini ones and they worked great), then they’re easier to hold without blocking part of the prop in the pics.

List of St. Patties items that could be turned into photo props:

Beards

Mustaches

Leprechaun Hat

Kiss Me (or Kiss Me, I’m Irish) Signs

Shamrocks/Clovers

Pot of Gold

Ties, Bow-ties, or Bows

Beer Mugs

Rainbows

Irish Flag

Sayings: Luck of the Irish, Pinch Me, I’m Not Short I’m Leprechaun Size, Happy St. Patties Day

If you’re stopping by from The Frugal Foodie Mama, I want to give a big WELCOME and THANKS for stopping by!!! And to anyone else, stopping by from, well anywhere – WELCOME and THANKS to you, as well! Gotta share the love to all, right? Like usual when I’m guest posting for Carrie @ the Frugal Foodie Mama, I have TWO wonderful and totally fun things to share with you today. First up, the absolutely darling (and easy!) DIY Jet Packs my little Superman is modeling for you in the above photo. Out of about twenty pics, this was the ONLY one not blurry because he just wanted to fly around. Too cute!

Directions
Take the labels off the soda bottles. Lightly sand paper the bottles all over (this helps the spray paint stick better).

Spray paint all over the bottles, allow to dry. Use a second coat if you want – I didn’t see a need to.

Use duct or gorilla tape to attach the bottles together – also put the string/yarn/ribbon as straps attached by the tape and tying. Be sure to measure it to your child, or they may not be able to get their arms in if it’s too small.

Put a small piece of rolled tape inside the bottle top, then stick the orange cellophane/paper so it’s attached and sticks out (these are the flames from the jet packs).

Viola – complete, and so much fun!!!

What color would YOUR kiddos make their DIY Jet Packs?

And as promised……a second fun and super simple project for you today!

These Monster-Making felt kits are so much fun for the kids, and you can make them in minutes (or longer, depends on you)!